`Traffic noise may cause heart attack`

Copenhagen: Exposure to traffic noise could cause heart attacks, says a new study.

A previous work had investigated the combined effects of both noise and air pollution caused by traffic on the heart, but the results were inconsistent.

The new study, led by Mette Sorensen of the Danish Cancer Society, showed a clear relationship between traffic noise and heart attack - a 12 percent higher risk per 10 decibels of noise among 50,614 study participants, the journal Public Library of Science ONE reports.

The exact reason for this relationship is not yet known, but may be due to increased stress and sleep disturbances associated with noise, according to a Danish Cancer Society statement.